January 12
(part 1)


Turkey friends this morning-



EPCOT



How in the world did we end up at EPCOT? That wasn't on the do to list, was it? Seems that this morning after sleeping in a little later, we had a change of plans. Today was either to be an off day or go to MGM. We decided that we'd like to do a few things at EPCOT and tonight is it's extra magic hours night. So.... off we went.

We figured that The Living Sea would be the most crowded b/c of the New Nemo Ride, we were wrong! We arrived at the park about 10:30 and headed right over there. The wait was about 5-10 minutes. It was super duper cute. It's time that a ride was brought back over there, I think I am one of a handful of people that remember the original attraction over there. I wanted to see Turtle Talk with Crush, we've never done that. There were TONS of people waiting though and I didn't know if we'd get into the next "showing", so we decided to wait and do all of The Sea again tonight.




We went to The Land where we rode the little boat ride, that Andy loves for some reason. I wasn't yet brave enough to try Soarin'. I have it on my list of the LAST thing to do tonight before we leave. I HOPE that I can be brave enough and that it wont make me sick....we'll see-

Then we headed over to Mexico for lunch. We ate at the little outdoor place, I can't remember the name of it. I had a chicken quesadilla that was fantastic!!! We did catch a few friends in Mexico as well... I had a great dance while waiting on them to pass the autograph book around. (Yes, I said autograph book)




Then we went "next door" to Norway for the boat ride there. (I can never remember the official name of these things...)Anyway, we love it and think it's too cute. We skipped the movie and decided to come back to rest for a little bit.


We went to the pool for awhile. It's heated and super warm. Andy swam for awhile, I layed by the pool and read some. It's warm outside and the water was warm, but it was a little breezy and I didn't want to freeze when I got out. (Nor did I want to get ready all over again)



So..there you have it, part 1 of today~
We'll see what the rest holds.....

Animal Kingdom
(part 2)

We ventured over to Africa and had a fantastic Safari!!
We saw a baby elephant-





a baby giraffe-



And then the big surprise...there was a white rhino, RIGHT beside the vehicle! I have never seen one so close, I thought they were aggressive? It was exciting!! I was on the "other" side and couldn't see him very well.
So....we got off and.....got right back on. Did I mention there was no wait? We walked right through the line and right on....both times!!!





The 2nd time Mr.Rhino was gone, but the highlight was the lion. In all the trips there we have never seen more than the tops of the lions back while they both nap. (They nap 20 hours a day, imagine? I shoulda been a lion) But this time....we look up and Mr. Lion is walking in a circle, looking for a new position to lay down in. Our dog & cat do that and it was so fun to see him do the same thing. Of course I didn't have my camera ready for action, so I missed it. But here he is once he found that perfect spot again-




We headed over to the train to conservation station......and I GOT TO SEE A TINY SECOND OF THE BRAND SPANKIN' NEW BABY WHITE RHINO. He was born on....Sunday I think? When we rode by the rhino barn, you could see him laying in the corner and his Mommy was over to the side! When we got over there, we saw more pictures of the new baby! Too cool.

We also met a few old friends, like Pocahontas.




And my favorite thing over there.....in all my 32 & 1/2 years of Disney trips I have NEVER EVER seen Jiminy Cricket, in person. I was soooo excited to see him there. There wasn't a soul around him. I wonder if kids know who he is these days? I was thrilled and chatted with him. The cast member took our photo and I didn't look until a little later that it was blurry. I almost cried!!!!! I was soooo upset and Andy wouldn't go back by then!! Ugh!!!! I sooooo hope they keep the classic guy around over there!





We headed back to catch A Bug's Life and saw a few minutes of the parade. It was funny, being so NOT crowded...you could have sat anywhere on the side walk for a front row view of the parade. I've never seen anything like it! We didn't really have time to spare, so we didn't sit down to watch. (Strange for me b/c I am such a parade addict, but it was ok) We wanted to see the "bugs" and we also wanted to catch Everest again. We ended up sitting down to call and make ressies for supper though...and ran outta time to catch Everest again before it closed @ 5:00. I guess it will be something to look forward to on our next visit there.


We ate @ Cape May Cafe @ 6:15 and it was fantastic. It is our 2nd trip over there to the Beach Club. It's our 2nd favorite restaraunt now, right after O'Hana. If you have never been, it's a must try!! It's an "Old Fashion American Clambake". There is are clams, mussels, corn on the cob and new taters on one side of the buffet. The other side has fried tilapia (so yummy), fries, bbq ribs, beef tips with mushrooms, mashed taters, mac n cheese, pasta, boiled shrimp and I can't remember what else. There is a salad bar and a kid's bar. (with pizza, corn dogs, mac n cheese, fries and chicken fingers) The food is a ton better than the typical "Disney buffets" that some of the parks and other resorts have!! Then there is a dessert buffet....wholy moly!! There's cheesecake, strawberry moose, cookies, key lime tarts, german chocolate cake bites and two of my FAVORITES are these oreo bon bons that are OUT OF THIS WORLD and then....Flan.... I am a flan addict these days!!

That was day 1 and we're headed to day 2-
(with a few changes to our plans already, imagine that)


Oh oh oh oh.... I forgot about the animals at the 2nd jungle trek over in Africa. We watched the gorillas awhile, the whole family was over by the glass and were too funny. One guy had a limb and was tempting his family with it. He'd lay it down and move back, they'd come close to it and then he'd grab it and run. Just like boy huh??




Then....the funny hippo! We laughed at this guy for a LONG time!! It was funny enough that he looks like he has a smile on his face! Look close, see it!!




Then Andy noticed that not only are little fishies all around him and he's laying there with his head propped on a rock, breathing out bubbles with a smile...which is all too cute...BUT.....his feet....look at them...his feet are NOT touching the bottom...they are floating off a bit. He's totally propped up by his head on that rock. Oh my gosh....it makes me laugh out loud just to look at it now!!




What a day!!! I swear it was THE MOST fun!! I don't know if it's b/c we hadn't been to Animal Kingdom in almost 3 years...or if it was the excitement of a new ride....the great weather and no lines... we had the BEST time though!!!!!!!

January 11
Animal Kingdom
(part 1)



Here is the view that we woke up too-
Pretty close to the tee box, huh?





We went down to the breakfast buffet (oh my heavens...) and then
returned to the room to find that Turkey Lurkey was there waiting at our "back door". I was pretty sure he was about to come on in!! They have always been a group of them "below" us when we stayed here before, seems we are right here with them this time~ Funny~



We caught a bus and headed over to Animal Kingdom,
"Everest" was on our first thing to do list!!




It is so much better than I could have ever imagined. (Did I mention that we waited in the standby line for all of 12 minutes, can you beat that? Even with fast pass??) I knew that it had rave reviews.
I've heard most of you rave about it...but the only way to get it, is to experience it yourself. WHOLY MOLY, WOWIE ZOWIE!!
It rocks!!
What more can you say? Ride it for yourself-




After that we headed over to Dinoland and got shaken to death on a
dinosaur adventure. You forget just how wild that ride is until you get back on again, so much fun!! It makes me laugh for some reason, I love it!




It was almost time for "Nemo" and I was very excited. I wasn't a fan of Tarzan Rocks and was thrilled to have a new show to replace it! The show is fantastic, very very very very well done!! I recommend it 100%~



On our way over to the Jungle Trek, we were side tracked with monkeys that we watched for a long, long time! I think I could have spent the day right there with those guys! They totally amaze me. I took so many pictures, you have no idea. But here... meet the family.
There was a proud Papa-




A jealous brother-




And a Mommy with her 4 month old.




We learned that these guys are born a white color. By the time they are 1, they turn black. When the females are ready to start a family of their own, they turn white again. Crazy huh?


On our trek we saw a Tiger that was yawning & stretching and looked like he belonged in our living room floor beside Kitty Witty!!





Before we arrived in Africa, we ran into a bear that we know & love!!!


((random question: who remembers when the park first opened and people actually rode that boat in my first picture? why did they stop that? are there plans to do something with it again? there should be))

Greetings from Shades of Green!! We made it in 8 & 1/2 hours, including 2 potty stops, a gas stop and supper @ Cracker Barrel. GREAT TIME, we just hit traffic right everywhere and had great luck~

Great room, on the courses as always. This time we're on the bottom floor and the 1st tee is STRAIGHT in front of us. The official clock is dead center to our glass doors. Andy's having a hard time not running out there with a club & a few balls!!!! I have no desire to bail him outta "the mouse" jail, so I'm keeping a close eye on him!!!

Off to bed so we will be ready to conquer "Everest" in the morning!! Animal Kingdom, here we come!!!

Just a little OCD~

So you would think that the night before we leave for WDW... I would be totally overwhelmed with excitement, right? Why am I looking like the funky girl screaminig & pulling my hair out?? I think I am "just a little" OCD.

This is the 4th time that we have left like this... Andy is off, he takes me to work and drops me off. He drops Gizmo off @ the Vet for boarding. (Whom might I add has an entire bag packed: food/treats/
pillow/toys..yes, she said pillow! AND a detailed note to the ladies there since I am not the one taking him!!!) He goes home to load the car (though everything is already packed) and make sure all the last minutes are done. He picks me up right after school gets out. It's always worked great, he's dependable (he's a grown adult for crying out loud) and we haven't left anything of importance yet. (Plus I left him a detailed checklist of things to do!!)

I however.... have MAJOR CONTROL ISSUES with letting it go! I HATE that he is the one actually putting the things in the car. (He wont humor me and do it tonight.) Matter of fact while I am stressing over...did I pack it...do I need it....what did I forget.... He's sleeping like a baby~

What could possibly be so important? I have the tickets, we have clothes, toothbrushes & undies. What is there to forget...that we couldn't just buy? I have no idea....but I worry non the less.

I worry about the house...what if he forgets to______. Never mind the fact that Momma is coming up here every day to check on the Kitty Witty and girlies.

So.. I'll take (yet another) deep breath and go to bed. (and lay there for hours worrying)

We are going to have an awesome time though and I'll be back to report it in great detail. (You know me, right?)

Wooooo Hoooo ~ We're going to Disney World!!

Santa is good!! I got a great big surprise this morning when I found all sorts of travel size items in my stocking....down at the bottom...there was a "Shades of Green" reservation confirmation along with 2 day park tickets!! What could be better? We'll be leaving on Thursday, January 11th!! (Andy already took the day off and I am going to as well) We'll be there through the weekend & return home on either Sunday or Monday. (We're both off on Monday, but right now we are scheduled to come home on Sunday.... we'll see how that goes) We're going to MGM, I've been having an itch to go there for the past year and we haven't. We're also headed to Animal Kingdom, Everest...here we come!!! Woooo HOOOOO------



Here's a picture of some of Andy's goodies...he already put his clothes away. He got some long & short sleeve golf shirts & a "Golden Bear" vest too!!



The "big girls" got BIG bones and they are currently hiding from the rain in their houses enjoying them... no pictures, due to the rain. Then Kitty Witty got a pack of "Cosmic Catnip" treats and we think we have him drugged a little too much. Can you give a cat too much of that stuff? I think we have! Andy gave him 2 or 3...then 2 or 3 more. Since then he's been running up and down the stairs like Gizmo does. (Not typical!) He's running side ways up and down the hall. He slapped Gizmo and then chased him twice around the couch. I think he's drugged a little too much..... Gizmo got a doggie lollipop and a new toy!


In addition to my trip surprise.. I also got a new Bible, "the message" version. I got a new Max Lucado book, "Facing Your Giants". Oh and the new "Walt Disney" book, it's huge and I can't wait to dive in. I got a rolling cart to help get my load of stuff back and forth to my preschool room, golf balls and all sorts of fun goodies in my stocking....Santa also seems to have thought I needed.. BREATHE RIGHT snore strips, Ugh!!! The truth comes out...what are we gonna do with that Santa?? Another highlight is my HILARIOUS letter from Santa, you have no idea....it's a riot and I look forward to those the most each year!!!

We hope your Christmas is filled with all sorts of fabulous things, including the love and fellowship with family & friends! We all pause to remember that we're celebrating the birthday of our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ!! Love to you and yours!!!

Wishing everyone a fantastic Merry CHRISTmas!!!

Stolen from Traci & LaRelle....b/c I can't sleep- So here goes....
If you know me, you know I can't just answer these things without
a darn explanation either....what can I say??

EIGHT LASTS
8. last cigarette: um, never
7. last beverage: bottle of water (before that sweetest strawberry lemonade ever @ Ruby Tuesday)
6. last phone call from: Dad
5. last text message from: Andy (days ago)
4. last cd played: christmas songs with lyrics changed to nutty golf ones (in Andy's car)
3. last BUBBLE bath: over a month ago
2. last time you cried: tonight during "We are Marshall" (see it)
1. last meal: late lunch/early supper @ Ruby Tuesdays today

Have you's:

7. have you ever dated someone twice:( like broke up and got back together??) yes
6. have you ever been cheated on?: yep, it was heart breaking (and NO...not my hubby~)
5. have you ever kissed someone & regreted it? tricky question...um, I'm going with no....maybe wondered what was going to happen next and if it was the smartest decision....but actually regret it..no
4. have you ever fallen in love? yep
3. have you ever lost someone: yep
2. have you ever been depressed: yep
1. have you ever been drunk and threw up? can I plead the 5th on this one? we were all young and stupid once.... right?....

SIX things you did in the past three days.

1. Went to school? yep, I teach preschool and Thursday was our last day (thank goodness)
2. Went to work? see above .. yep
3. Colored? yep (again, I teach... colored a santa and then drew a christmas tree while sitting with a little friend just Thursday)
4. What was 4?? (did this question disappear?)
5. Got drunk in the last 3 days? nope...nor the last 3 years....nor many many before that-
6. Slept: yep (but sure can't now)

list FIVE people you can pretty much tell anything to

1. Andy
2. Mom
3. Tracey
4. Misty
5. Holly (if I can catch her around! he he)

FOUR of your favorite artists
(I'm having trouble with this one...I know I can pick writers, musicians, etc...but I am still having trouble right now...guess b/c it's late?)
1)
2)
3)
4)

list THREE favorite colors.
1. Red
2. Pink
3. Black

list TWO things you want to do before you die

1. be a mommy
2. go to hawaii

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU?

1. Made a new friend - yep
2. Laughed until you cried - oh yeah!
3. Went behind your parents back - (guess this one is developed by youngun's)
4. Met someone who changed your life - I don't think so, but if I have...I just don't know it yet
5. Gotten close to someone: yep
6. Found out who your true friends were - not any different than I'd found out in the past couple of years

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF

1. Bush? I support him 100%, he's MY President afterall
2. Gay Marriage? disagree with it on a personal level, my Bible tells me it's wrong...but then it tells me other things are wrong that people do every day (myself included) have a hard time telling others what they should do wether it's wrong or right though.....i struggle with these issues
3. Lowering the drinking age? not a good idea (but also realize it isn't stopping teens from drinking even now)
4. Straight, Gay, Lesbian, Bi? personally...well duh, I'm married to a man! straight!!
5. Who is the best hugger that you know? hubby (followed by hugs I get daily from the kiddos @ school)
6. Do you believe in love at first sight? i'm gonna go with no.... i think that you can know pretty quickly that someone is going to be special for you... but I think LOVE is something that has to develop to last
7. Is there something you want to tell someone: not that comes to mind...

Gingerbread Day
Monday at school was gingerbread day! I had decided to do this about a month ago and had been planning ever since. I had talked 4 brave parents into helping me for the day. (my assistant was on vacation) It was the MOST fun we've had in a long time!!! The kids were able to do SO much b/c we had so many helpers and they had a blast!

We arrived and we colored & cut out paper gingerbread men first thing to assemble with brads. Then Ms. Kristie read Gingerbread Baby to the class, great story! I split the kids into groups of 4, so there were only 3 kids in each group. On Mondays there are 3 rooms that are empty, so we were able to use different rooms for different activities. In one room they painted wooden ornaments that looked like gingerbread men and we put their photo inside. When they finished those, they also played a Gingerbread Baby game in that room. Then they decorated foam gingerbread men with buttons, wiggle eyes and glitter glue in another room.

When they finished those they worked on a gingerbread man shape matching game. There was yet another room for decorating the gingerbread house that you see at the top of the page. The last room was for alphabet bingo where we used gingerbread man erasers for "cover up" pieces on our bingo boards. They decorated gingerbread men stickers with more stickers in that room too! Then we all got back together for a few minutes of outside fun!

After that we decorated gingerbread men cookies (though made with sugar cookie dough b/c kids don't eat gingerbread very well) and drank chocolate milk. We took one bite of our cookies and then made a graph to show what each person bit off first.

Ms. Tanya read Gingerbread Man and we talked about things that were the same or different in both stories. To wrap it up we made one more foam ornament that said "Jesus warms my Heart" It was a great finish to a fun day. I had plastic gingerbread men to give everyone and we were out of time before I knew it!!


It was soooo much fun~ I couldn't have done so much without all the volunteers and they rocked! We are going to do it again in February for our big ole space unit...should be fun!

*And our Christmas program was today and such a hoot! We do a program based on a book "Someone is coming to our house" and it is about the animals in the stable getting ready for a stranger to visit, the are so excited when they realize it is baby Jesus. Each class dresses up like an animal. (We were mice: wore gray shirts, mouse felt ears and had painted noses & whiskers) Each class has a line to say as they walk on stage and take their place. Then they all sing 5 songs, ending with an extended version of "Happy Birthday Jesus".. if you've ever heard it.. it's heart warming!! What a great day. Our party was back in our room with a book exchange game, pin the nose on Rudolph, jingle bell bracelets and pizza!! Tons of fun was had by all!!!*

Last 2 Days
Day at Sea & Nassau

Alrighty- It's time to wrap this trip report up!

Thanksgiving Day was a day at sea:

It was pretty warm that day, but we didn't take time to lay out in the sun at all. It was filled with all sorts of activities. After a late breakfast Andy & I went back to our cabin to watch some of the Macy's parade that was being shown a little later on TV. (We were getting our "local" shows & news from a station in Colorado. Funny huh?!) Andy took a round of golf lessons (or was that the other day at sea? it all starts to blend together) he worked out in the gym and went to a few golf activities. Mom, Dad & I went to an "Elvis Tribute" show that was...ok. We all went to the newlywed game, that's always a total hoot! We played bingo and went to a chat with some staff from the ship. The cruise director, a dancer, the assistant cruise director, a member of the orchestra and a backstage entertainment person were all there in a small setting and you could ask them any questions you wanted about life on the ship. There were only about 50-60 people in there and it was really neat. We learned all sorts of interesting facts and laughed alot! If you ever have a chance to attend one of these talks, take advantage of it! The chocolate buffet was also offered at lunch time, wowie zowie...that's always a fun!!! There were other crazy contests at the pool that day that I watched on and off.

I also (after 3 years of talking about it and carrying around pictures from a magazine) decided to take the big plunge and get my haircut by a regular working professional. It's only the 3rd time in my life that I have paid for a haircut!! Most of you know that my Mom was a hairdresser and had her own shop while I was growing up. She has always (and still does) cut my hair! She refuses to do anything out of the regular cutting long layers in my hair. She knows that if I don't like anything new...she'll be to blame. My hair style hasn't changed in... well, my life! I had the sweetest hairdresser ever and totally enjoyed my (VERY expensive) haircut. It wasn't very different to be honest in the end, but she did make it straighter than it has ever been before. I can't manage to make my naturally curly hair that straight. I LOVED the way it looked, but 3 weeks at home now and it's yet to look like that again. Ugh! What can ya do?

One of the things offered that night for dinner was obviously turkey and all the fixin's. After dinner the show was "A Salute to Broadway" and it was a great show, one of my favorites. There was also the Grand Gala Buffet that night, so pretty just to look at! We ended up skipping eating off of it though. Andy & Dad both headed back for bedtime while Mom & I actually went for pizza. He he he.....

Last Day in Port

Our last and final day was in the port of Nassau. Every ship that leaves Port Canaveral eventually heads to Nassau I think. And as it happens, I think they were ALL there on that day! There were SIX ships in port, the most I've ever seen in one place! It was wild, but kinda neat to see & compare them all!!





Dad took a cool picture of the Disney ship, we got to see up close (b/c we were right beside it and looking right over there) the new big ole movie screens by the swimming pool up there. Those are super cool and after looking at that ship so long, we're all ready to do the Disney Cruise. (again for Andy & I!!)



Mom & Dad were anxious to head back to Paradise Island and the Atlantis. After breakfast, they were off and running....got a taxi and were gone! They enjoyed their day of walking around, gambling some and enjoying the beautiful resort over there.





Andy & I decided to lay low and walk around in Nassau. We looked in tons of shops, but were only window shopping this trip. We were amazed at all the people from all the ships down there, made things very busy. It also made the locals much more reluctant for real bargaining. (I tried) After a couple of hours, we decided to head back to the ship for lunch and then the most relaxing and hot afternoon by the pool!! It was fantastic!!

And before you know it....

It's over. Crazy how that happens. I remember looking on the TV screen the first couple of days and it tells how far you have traveled from Port Canaveral...how far to your next port, etc....(depth of ocean, temp of pools on board & ocean, plus all sorts of other neat stuff) It would say day 1 of your cruise, day 2 of your cruise.... It seems like such a long time out before you of the trip, then before you know it you are packing your stuff up to toss outside the door for landing back in Florida! Ugh!!!!

Drive Home..

Our 8 & 1/2 to 9 hour typical trip home turned into a little nightmare!! It's the first time in YEARS that we have traveled during any real holiday. There were zillions of people on the roads in the first place, from down there they were headed home from the beach, WDW & ships. Then there ended up being a huge wreck and the road was shut down for almost an hour. We sat with the car in park and watched "Cars" on the DVD player that we had taken along. When we were finally moving again, it was a sllllloooowwww drive home and turned into a 12 hour adventure. I HATE riding in the car in the first place and it wasn't a pleasant trip! Such is life and we made it.

Summary:

It was a great trip. Mom & Dad really loved their long cruise and are ready to head to the Virgin Islands now. (Us too!) We love the Glory and were thrilled to sail on her for a 2nd time, great great great ship and if you ever have the chance...take her out for a spin! The ports were great and we look forward to visiting each and every one of them again! They aren't our favorite spots, but spots that we would love to see again just the same! We are ready to sail again to more new places as well as old favorites. We are definitely still "cruise" people and I think we have an amazing lifetime of cruises before us!!

(And my hubby is for sure still a dork!)